Wikipedia Trail: from visual poetry to the wonders of the world

Visual Poetry
Poetry where visual elements predominate.

Example of visual poetry.

Source: Wikipedia.

Concrete Poetry
Poetry where "arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance." Also known as color, pattern, or shape poetry.

Alexandria
The second largest city in Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great.

Wonders of the World
A list of the world's most splendid natural or man-made structures. Includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Reading Notes: Eastern Stories and Legends

Part A through C. I love these little stories. They are all so profound, even though they are almost child-like in the manner that they are presented. A lot of these stories are based on the lives of the Buddha. My favorite story from this list is the story "The parrot that fed his parents." When I was reading it, I was confused as to what was going on exactly until I got to the best line I've read in a while. It goes like this, "I carry food to my ancient parents who can no longer seek that food for themselves: thus I pay my daily debt. I carry food to my callow chicks whose wings are yet ungrown. When I am old they will care for me—this my loan to them. And for other birds, weak and helpless of wing, who need the aid of the strong, for them I lay up a store; to these I give in charity." This line is so great because this is so true.

Cover.

Source: Archive.

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock.

Reading Notes: Pattanaik. Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art

• A cow is the most sacred animal in the Hindu faith. You must never kill a cow or eat beef.
• With just one cow, a household can be sustained. 
• A good question: why did the earth exist? for all animals, or was it just for humans? 
• For all animals, of course, humans just happened to take over. 
• it'd be interesting to have a story which told about the time when humanity realizes that its not as important as it thinks it is
• Gomada(?) = the earth cow (the earth in the form of a cow)
• Vishnu saved the Earth by becoming the Earth's protector. 
• Human society is an unnatural phenomenon = true. 
• Lakshmi = container of fortune. She always comes to Vishnu. He never comes to her. (meaning a stable society has good fortune)
• Vishnu maintains dharma by descending on earth as an avatar.
• he actually has a bunch of avatars, which is quite interesting

Gomatha.

Source: The Story of Gomatha.

Portfolio Guide

Enchanting Encounter
In this riveting story, a man throws away his life and career for the woman of his dreams.

Image of Sita and Rama together. 

Source: DollsofIndia.

Ravana's Revelations

Ravana recounts his side of the epic story of his role in the Ramayana.

Psychiatrist's office. 

Source: GirlinSilence Blogspot.

To Suffer? Or to Live?

A soft breeze. The blades of grass softly grazing his skin. The shadow of the bodhi tree casting a shadow over his body while protecting him from the harsh rays of sunlight around him. 

Lotus art. 

Source: Lindelokse at DeviantArt.

Wikipedia Trails: from Grimms' Fairy Tales to Sine qua non

Grimms' Fairy Tales
A book that contained a collection of German fairy tales.

Rapunzel
A fairytale in the Brothers Grimm collection which tells of a girl with long hair trapped in a tower.

Aarne–Thompson classification systems

This is the system used to classify folktales.

Sine qua non

This is a phrase for "without which there is nothing." Used in a sentence: "her leadership was the sine qua non of the organization's success."

The first book of the Brothers Grimm collection of fairy tales.

Source: Wikipedia.

Review: Week 11

Here is my favorite post this week from the class announcements on Sunday, April 9. Always work and strive for your dreams. :)

Famous Last Words: Week 11

The reading for this week went fine. I read about the life of the Buddha, which is quite interesting to me due to my background. There are new and old things I learned from reading this. I had forgotten that he had gotten married before leaving his home but I had no idea that he had a son too. So does that mean that out there somewhere, there are people walking around with the blood of the Buddha? I also found that whenever I write, I should just let the ideas flow out. Who cares if they're not super amazing? Just let them flow and all will be well. I've also been reading other stories and portfolios and wow, there are so many creative people in this class. There was one where had a play/tv show-like set up. That has been my favorite so far. My other classes are doing okay as well. For the rest of the semester, I don't have to do solo presentations anymore. WOOHOO, because those are nerve-wracking. I feel like the more that I present, I get more comfortable with the people in the room. But that doesn't mean that I get comfortable with presenting in general. I wish that wasn't the case though. I hope that by the end of this week, I will be done with this class and another one of my online classes so that I can focus on my one final at the end of the semester and GRADUATE woohoo! My capstone class is actually quite boring nowadays because we've gotten to the point where we talk about the same thing every week. Hopefully in the next 4 weeks, we can find something really interesting in the class to help people wake up since quite a few of my classmates have had the same sentiments about the class.

Cap and diploma. 

Source: Pinterest.

Learning Challenge: Reading and watching!

Reading and watching/listening. If you are watching a movie on TV, you probably have the option to turn on English subtitles. Turn on the subtitles and see how that mix of listening and reading works for you. How is the experience different when you are both hearing and seeing the words? Do you like watching the captions turned on, or do you not like it? If you are watching together with someone else, compare your experiences. Do they have the same reaction that you do?
For this week, I want to do the "Learning by HEART" challenge for reading!

So whenever I watch a TV show or movie, if I have the option to, I always turn on the subtitles. A large part of my ability to comprehend others comes from me reading their lips. It's not that my ears are particularly bad, but sometimes, I cannot distinguish words well if I am not looking at the person directly. By both being able to hear and see the words, I can understand what is going on much better. A few people that I have met actually do not like because they say it distracts them from the actual movie since the words keep scrolling or changing. For myself, since I can read pretty quickly, it doesn't bother me much since it takes less than half a second for me to read the sentence and continue watching the scene.

"Book with pages folded into a heart."

Source: Treehugger.

Week 11 Storytelling: To Suffer? Or to Live?

A soft breeze. The blades of grass softly grazing his skin. The shadow of the bodhi tree casting a shadow over his body while protecting him from the harsh rays of sunlight around him. 

Lotus art. 

Source: Lindelokse at DeviantArt.

Siddhartha breathed in deeply and slowly through his nose. He noticed the scent of the air around him. The way the air traveled into his body. The way his chest rose and fell and with each breath he took. This was it. This was what he spent a large part of his life searching for: freedom from the suffering of the world. From the moment he became the Buddha, Siddhartha lived each day with splendor and compassion. He was a part of the world and at the same time, the world was a part of him. 

He let his mind settle into quiet meditation and felt the rest of his body melt away as the physical senses were not important any longer. It was simply himself and his mind. But for some reason, this time it was different. Instead of casting complete stillness and silence over everything, his mind's eye was casting a faint light. Thinking nothing of it and willing it to melt away, Siddhartha continued to focus on his breathing. The light had no intention of fading away, and instead, it got even brighter. Brighter and brighter, still, it became until a scene appeared in front of him. It seems that he was looking in on something happening as an omnipotent presence. 

He saw himself in the arms of his mother. Although he was still newly born, he knew that the baby in the arms of one of the most beautiful women in history was him. Inexplicable yet sure, he looked on. Somehow, the scene sped up and he was no longer a baby. He was a young boy, barely past the age of 10, running into the arms of his mother. His mother? What was she doing here? He was told she passed when he was barely a week old...

The scene sped up yet again, going further than it did before. The younger version of him was walking down the road where he remembered seeing the three men who helped realize the suffering in the world. Yet, the sick man was not there. The old man was not there and neither was the dead man. The roads were empty and void of people or any person who seemed to be suffering an ailments. Puzzled, Siddhartha looked at the younger him once again to see a young man who was simply happily strolling through his kingdom. 

The next scene was his coronation as the next king. He saw his father look upon him with proud eyes. His mother was right by his side holding his hand. Somehow, what he was seeing did not make sense any longer. What was happening? Why was his mind showing him this story which made no sense and followed a completely different trajectory than what actually happened?

The final scene. He saw himself, as a 60-year-old man, crying next to a bed. Walking over to see who was on the bed, he saw his parents. The older him was in tears while holding the hand of his father, who had quite obviously passed away. His mother was sick in the other bed, hanging onto the last thread of life. He, himself, was suffering the aching bones and the hunched stature that came with old age. 

Ah... Siddhartha came to a realization. If the gods had not forced him to see the true nature of life, this is the life he would have led. He would have lived to become a great king, but a king who had no idea what it meant to live life to its fullest potential and to fully understand that to live... is to suffer. 

Author's note: So I was reading about the life of the Buddha this week for the class and I really enjoyed it. In the story, it was told that when the sheltered Siddhartha chose to venture outside of his kingdom to explore, the gods were jealous of his happiness and showed him the three most harsh types of suffering in life: sickness, old age, and death. It was through that experience that Siddhartha left his home and went on a journey to become the Buddha and to learn that everything in life is, in actuality, suffering. I wanted to write a story where Siddhartha was able to see what his life would have been like if he never went through that experience. I wanted to pose the scenery to be similar to what the Scrooge in The Christmas Carol was able to see what happens in the future--kind of like he was looking in on what would happen in a ghost-like yet omnipresent state. And so in the end of this story, Siddhartha realized that either way, he would have had to experienced all the suffering at the same time, but never have the chance or the time to fully process it and become the Buddha. 

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Growth Mindset: We All Struggle

"We All Struggle."

Source: Growth Mindset Cats.

I agree with this growth mindset quote so much because life is about struggling. Without struggles, you wouldn't be who you are today. It would be great if someone was able to go through life without lifting a single finger or having others waiting on their beck and call. However, that person will be like a tadpole in a lake. That tadpole will never know that there is a whole other world outside of that lake. Because a person goes through struggles and hardships, he or she will be able to transform (to go along with this metaphor) into a frog that is able to go on land and see everything the world has to offer.

Growth Mindset: Difficult is Not Impossible

"Difficult is not possible."

Source: Growth Mindset Cats.

This is one of my favorite quotes. As someone who usually puts 110% into everything that I am passionate about, I believe that anything is possible. Even though in the moment, it feels like it is so difficult to do something, there are always going to be other options or routes to get to the same destination. Also, it might seem impossible due to timing but one way or another, you are always going to get to where you need or want to be. This is something that I think everyone needs to realize because people get hung up about getting something done because their mind makes them think that it's impossible, but as long as they can take everything slowly and step-by-step, then it will always work out in the long run. 

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part C

• He entered the hermitage of the holy Arata Kalama, but chose not to teach his doctrine 
• because "who knows it will not find deliverance"
• His mother, in the heavens, actually came back to visit him once she thought he was dead
• I think it'd be interesting to write a story from his mother's point of view
• he had 5 disciples join him originally, but they eventually left him because they thought he lost his practice 
• here, Mara is "the evil one"
• a golden bowl signaled his ascension into Buddha-hood and he sat beneath the tree of knowledge
• Mara tries to fight the Buddha, who honestly is just sitting underneath a bodhi tree trying to be peaceful
• Siddhartha becomes the Buddha after the "fighting event" and realizes that "by leading a life of holiness, desire is stifled, and we cease to endure birth and suffering."

Mara.

Source: Smite.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part B

• for a long time, prince Siddhartha lived a life of luxury, not knowing suffering
• he even had a son named Rahula
• one day, the prince decided to venture our of his home 
• his father ordered for all the beggars and the sick to be removed from the streets so that Siddhartha wouldn't have to witness all of it 
• the Gods interfered by showing the prince a sick man, an old man, and a dead man
• Siddhartha was greatly bothered by what he had seen
• he then chose to become a monk
• my favorite quote: when someone is trying to escape from a burning house, we should not hinder him. the day comes, inevitably, when we must leave this world, but what merits is there in a forced separation? A voluntary separation is far better. 
• he left his home for good
• all of his family and friends were so sad they they died--including his horse :(
  
  Lord Buddha leaving the palace and his family behind. 
  Source: Yadavhistory.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part A

• Suddhodana was the king of the city 
• He actually had many wives, but his favorite was Maya 
• she was an amazing woman: virtuous, truthful, attentive, and beautiful 
• Maya requested to retreat to the forest
• Maya became pregnant with "he who seeks supreme knowledge" 
• she was chosen due to her noble character
• She gave birth to the Buddha
• okay at this point, I'm a little unsure of how this happened
• the text went like, "suddenly, she stood very still. she smiled, and the maidens who were near her received a lovely child into their arms."
• like what? did the baby just drop like a missile? 
• I'm interested in writing a story where Siddhartha visits a parallel universe and finds how his life would have been if he were to have not witness all of the suffering of the world and left his home to find enlightenment
• I'm rather confused at the scene where they're talking about the sixty four varieties of script
• what realization did Visvamitra come upon to where he realized he couldn't teach Siddhartha?
• It seems I didn't understand in the beginning. It was not Vismvamitra who read out the names of the scripts, it was Siddhartha himself. 
• In the end, he wins Gopa's hand in marriage through all of his mental and physical prowess

Maya dreams of the elephant.

Source: Alchetron.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Wikipedia Trails: from Nyx to Cynicism

1. Nyx
Nyx is a Greek goddess of the night. She is said to be feared by Zeus. She was created by Chaos. She gave death to many children including Doom, Destruction, Death, Sleep, Old Ages, etc. She was present at the beginning of creation as well.

Art of Nyx.

Source: Pinterest.

2. Moros
Moros is the Greek personification of doom and deadly fate. He is the brother of the Fates and the child of Nyx. Like his mother, he was invisible and dark and not to be trifled with because to alter him (destiny) would change the course of the future entirely.

3. Pandora's Box
Pandora's box is a Greek artifact. It is a box that contains all of the "evils" of the world. Pandora opened the jar and is the one to let free all of the death and evil into the world.

4. Diogenes
Diogenes is a Greek philosopher and he founded Cynic philosophy. He was a controversial figure in his day.

5. Cynicism
Cynicism is a school of Greek philosophy from long ago. The Cynics believed that the purpose of life is to "live in virtue, in agreement with nature." As a result, people rejected all conventional desires for wealth, power, sex, and fame. They lived a life without any worldly possessions. They practice shamelessness and impudence and reject societal norms.

Learning Challenge: Things That Matter vs. Things You Can Control

"Focus on the things that matter and the things that you can control." 

Source: Learning by Heart.

I agree with this image. I've been through a lot of self-reflection and self-growth during my time in college and I've come to realize quite a few things. This is one of the more important lessons I've come to learn. Life is unexpected and it can throw so many different obstacles in your way at every turn. There are so many people in the world who suffer from depression or other mental illnesses because they think too hard about controlling things that do not really matter or things that they have no ability to change. As long as you know that there are some things you can't really change in life, then you can relax and let life take its course without worrying about something that happened or something that is going to happen eventually. That way, you can live in the moment and just be content where you are without all the stress.

Growth Mindset: The Definition of Creativity

I agree with the message in this video. Growing up, I have never considered myself as a creative person because I never really "created" anything. Like in the video says, I just assumed that the creative ones were the artists, chefs, etc. who were able to make something out of nothing. So even if I did find a way to "mash up some ideas," I never really gave myself enough credit, which ended up in me not being confident in myself and my skills/creativity. I think through this and through college, I am learning to appreciate the way in which I am creative more.

Reading Notes: The Jataka Tales of India, Part B

Bibliography:
Title: Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt

The Golden Goose

• The moral of the story was that people shouldn't be greedy and cherish what they receive, rather than asking (or in this case, demanding) for more.
• I like that the feathers were gold in this story instead of the eggs since I believe that the goose that laid the golden eggs was ultimately killed in order to obtain more eggs.

The Stupid Monkeys

• This story definitely teaches you that you shouldn't give someone a task without teaching him/her how to do it beforehand! 

The Cunning Wolf

• Finally a story where the wolf wasn't the antagonist!

The Woodpecker and the Lion

• This story shows that when you don't know how to appreciate people, you will end up losing them.
• The lion in this story did not even say a word of thanks to the woodpecker and even said he was gracious enough to not eat him when the woodpecker helped him get the bone out of his throat. 
• Ungrateful lion!

How the Monkey Saved His Troop

• Wow, the King wanted to eat the monkeys as well as the mangoes.
• The monkey chief was so kind to let all the other monkeys climb on his back.
• I admire that the King was able to see the monkey's actions and decided to take care of him for the rest of his life.

The Hawks and Their Friends

• It's true that you should make friends because once you're in trouble, you have no one else to help pull you back up on your feet
• True friends are friends that will help you when you need them the most and sometimes, they're the hardest to find

The Foolhardy Wolf

• I think the lesson this story teaches is that one shouldn't overstep their boundaries
• This is kind of different than what I believe in. In a way, this is teaching someone to have a fixed mindset. To not try to become better than what they are. 
• The wolf was killed for trying to catch bigger prey after he grew big and strong. 

The Stolen Plow

• This story was a good one!
• I was confused at first as to why the village trader took the man's son and said the bird had carried him off, but then it made sense because the town trader had also told an outrageous lie as to why the plow was gone
• The village trader just wanted his plow back. 

The Lion in Bad Company

• Here, the wolf is the bad guy once again!
• I guess this story is telling us appearances can be deceiving. 
• The wolf tried to play the good guy and called the lion "Great Lion" to get on his good side but then played him and caused left him for dead.

Beauty and Brownie

• I think the lesson here is that you should listen to advice or instructions that are given to you.
• Because Brownie did not listen to his father's instructions, he nearly lost his entire herd.

The Elephant and the Dog

• This story was very cute! 
• I think the moral of this story is that you can make friends with anyone! Even an elephant and a dog were able to become such good friends that separation would cause them depression! 

Image from "The Elephant and the Dog" story.

Source: UN-Textbook.

Reading Notes: The Jataka Tales of India, Part A

Bibliography:
Title: Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt

The Monkey and the Crocodile

• The monkey in this story is very cunning when he said he left his heart behind. 
• Why did the writer have to call the crocodile "stupid" though? He was just a little Crocodile.
• If his mother wanted to eat something, she should have gotten it herself rather than making her son do it since he doesn't seem to know much about catching monkeys!
• I didn't know that crocodiles closed their eyes when they open their mouth.
• I like that the little Crocodile was very persistent. He really wanted that monkey heart for his mommy Crocodile.

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life

• The king put fish into a lake where his sons would play around in? That doesn't sound safe for the fish at all if the lake was small!
• The poor turtle didn't do anything at all but the king wanted to have it killed. Wow.
• The king and his people were actually really foolish because they found the turtle in the water in the first place. If they put it in water.. it would just be like putting it back where it was living comfortably...

The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

• This story was kind of twisted. 
• I suppose the lesson here is to not talk too much or it else you'll gets in lots of trouble?
• Turtles are usually very smart in most stories, but in this one, the turtle was not smart at all!

The Ox Who Won the Forfeit

• I feel like the message of this story is to treat others with kindness and that being mean or demanding will not get you anywhere.
• When the man beat the ox, it was flabbergasted and didn't even move an inch, making him lose all his money.
• Once he apologized and spoke to it in a kind way, it drew one hundred carts for him and earned him lots of money.

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

• This story felt like there wasn't a moral, but I thought it was kind of funny
• The poor little rabbit freaked out whenever a coconut fell on it and thought the world was breaking up. 
• Then every other creature it came across believed it and started running around too! 
• Luckily the lion was there.
• Maybe the moral of the story was that in some dire situations, we all need someone who is level-headed to help us out? haha

The Banyan Deer

• I felt that this was a great story about sacrificing yourself for another.
• In some cases, most people are not as merciful as the king, but luckily the king decided to stop hurting the deer after seeing the King's sacrifice.

The Princes and the Water-Sprite

• This was a good story!
• I like that there was a mysterious element to the story with the riddle given by the water-sprite to each of the princes.
• I felt like because the elder prince was able to answer the question right, he should be given the authority to rule after the king dies. 
• I wonder why the queen wanted the sun prince to become the king? 

The Ox Who Envied the Pig

• I'm not sure how this story teaches the value of hard work.. is it because the pig did not do much work, which is why the farmer chose to make a feast out of the pig instead of the oxen?

"The Ox Who Envied the Prince"

Source: UN-Textbook.

The Crab and the Crane

• The Crane was very deceitful in this story!
• I like that justice was served at the end with the crab killing the crane.
• This is another lesson that tells us what goes around will ultimately come back around aka karma will always get you back!

The Three Fishes

• I think those names are very deserving for each fish! 
• I noticed that in the intro for this story, there are versions of this story where not all of the fishes got away. Is it perhaps the "thoughtless" fish who got caught in the other ones? 

The Tricky Wolf and the Rats

• Why is it that lycanthropes are the characters who are always thought to be "wicked?"
• I think wolves are very honorable animals!
• This story seems like a spin-off of the little red riding hood story.
• The moral of the story here is not to be wicked and greedy.

Review: Borders in the Mind

"Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people." image. 

Source: OU Class Announcements.

This is my favorite picture from the recent announcements on March 7, 2017. This is true. If the people of the world just took a moment to get rid of the prejudices and borders they create in their own minds, what a wonderful place the world would be.

Famous Last Words: Post Midterms and Spring Break Spree

Ahhhh~ The break that I've been looking forward to the most since the start of 2017. Spring break always comes as a nice breath of fresh air. The week before spring break was extremely hectic. I felt like I had so much to do, but so little time to do it. Although I am still pressed for time right now, it definitely wasn't as crazy as last week. Whew.

Since I didn't do much writing and reading this week for this class, I don't think I'll have much to say regarding the Indian epics, but let's just see what I can mentally conjure up. I enjoyed this week's reflection and evaluation assignments because I got to voice my opinions regarding various topics. I did do some casual reading over break. I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Caraval over break. The former was a rather odd book, but slightly funny at the same time due to all the weird characters and stories. The latter was really interesting because there was mystery, magic, and romance all in one book--my favorite genres. I'm glad that I am getting back into reading because I used to be an avid reader before college started. I probably read at least 10 books a week before. It's crazy to think that I've read less than 10 books for fun (I don't count textbooks, although some textbooks are pretty enjoyable) the entire 4 years I've been at OU.

I got to catch up a lot in this class over break. I've done a bunch of extra credit assignments just to get ahead. It seems that if I keep this up, I should be done with this class by the end of Week 11. Yay for early endings!! Although this is one of my more enjoyable classes... Next week, I hope to have time to write a story THAT WILL BLOW EVERYONE'S MIND. Since I only have a few weeks left in this class, I'm going to make the best of it. Especially since I only have 1 story in my portfolio so far. Fingers crossed!

"Believe in yourself." Ant holding up a giant twig meme. 

Source: Memecenter.

EVENT NOTIFICATION

My sorority is hosting a Thai Tea Tuesday on campus on March 21st from 10am to 1pm! We are selling ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS Thai Tea drinks and everyone should come check it out! 

Extra Reading Post: Ganesha's Secret

Ganesha's Secret

• How can anyone with weird heads be gods? 
• Why is there more than one god. 
• The Hindu notion of divine is unique, it is not restricted to a single idea or deity. 
• Each deity is a jigsaw puzzle, that comes together to make an overall God. 
• The world is subjective, for each person there is a different "world"
• I think this is rather profound. If I could write a story about this, that would be really cool. 
• Each world is different, but what matters more? The answer is everyone's world matters. 
• stories, symbols and rituals communicate a myth 
• Many things in life cannot be explained by logic
• Different cultures have different answers as to what happens after death 
• maybe I can write about a story of different perspectives about death 
• Ganesha's head 
• implies power because the elephant is not prey to many 
• the idea of Ganesha is reinforced by the story of his birth
• Parvati married shiva
• while bathing, Parvati molded a doll and created a child that was born without the help of a man
• He was beheaded 
• Shiva gave the child the head of an elephant that was part of the land of immortality 
• Ganesha represents the union of two opposites: Shiva and Parvati

Screenshot by me. 

Bibliography: 

"7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art - Chapter 1 Ganesha's Secret" by Epified. 

Wikipedia Trails: from Wonder Woman to The Jade Emperor

1. Wonder Woman
• Wonder Woman is a superheroine in the DC Comic universe. She is a member (founding member) of the Justice League and a warrior princess of the Amazonian people. She was actually sculpted from clay and given life by Athena!
2. The Amazonian people
• They are a fictional society of superhuman, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology. They are made of only women that live on Paradise Island. 
3. Demigod
• This is a term for an individual who is a minor deity, a mortal whose parents are a god and a human being, or someone who has attained divine status. 
• In Hinduism, demigods are deities who were once humans and became gods. 
4. The Jade Emperor
• In Chinese mythology, he is the first god and is the monarch of all heavenly deities
• He is also known was the Heavenly Grandfather or the Great Emperor of Jade
• although he was the head of the pantheon, he was not responsible for creation itself.

Image depicting the Jade Emperor. 

Source: Wikipedia article Jade Emperor.

Growth Mindset towards... Relationships?

For this growth mindset post, I would like to talk about relationships. I was looking at the Growth Mindset Cats page and this really caught my eye. After being in a relationship that lasted a substantial amount of time and leaving it pretty recently, I have learned a few things about relationships and one of the most important things is: relationships require effort. Regardless of whether the relationships are platonic or romantic, I find that there's always a degree of effort that needs to be put in--but there needs to be equal amounts put in by both parties. A lot of people will end up leaving their partners after troubles arise, but few realize that it takes work to overcome these obstacles. The good thing is, after you do put in this effort, you can reap the benefits of having a long-lasting relationship where you can fully trust the other person and enjoy their company without fear of judgment because this person has seen your highest of highs and lowest of lows.

"Relationships require effort" meme of two cats being cute. 

Source: Growth Mindset Cats.

Learning Challenge: The Lotus

The quote for this happiness meme is from a Buddhist proverb, but I could not find who actually said it. I created this image from AutoMotivator.

Tech Tip Cheezburger

Here's my Cheezburger image!

Tech Tip Poster

This quote is one that I based from Louise Hay: “I do not fix problems. I fix my thinking. Then problems fix themselves.” The picture is a random picture generated from AutoMotivator.

Tech Tip: Embed Tweet

Are you a good listener? These four steps can help: https://t.co/5XHampUVE0 pic.twitter.com/zWTNz6TTfw

— TED-Ed (@TED_ED) March 11, 2017

Google Timer Tech Tip

I have recently started using a Google timer! Ever since I got introduced to the Pomodoro method of studying, I have been using this timer to stay on track! It's useful because it's very easy to configure and if I have my headphones in, it rings to let me know when I can take a break!

How I use it nowadays is to set my timer to 1 hour. I give myself 1 hour to finish a main assignment for one class. Once the timer is up, I move to another subject, and this way, I never get bored and can cycle through all my classes. It's a good feeling to see how much I can do in so little time and how much time I've got left as well!

Screenshot of my Google timer. 

Tech Tip: SoundCloud Embedded

Tech Tip: Sidebar Box

Hi guys!

I've added an HTML/Javascript sidebar box to my blog! I put my favorite quote in there if you guys wanna go and take a look!

Screenshot by me.

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

My Experience: 

• The installation for the Canvas app on Android devices is quick and simple
• Look up "Canvas" in the Google Play Store and press "install."
• When you first log into the app, there is a small tutorial that tells you the main things you can do with the app, which is useful
• You can also get notifications from Canvas directly on your device!
• OMG THE LITTLE FLYING PANDA ANIMATION WHEN YOU SWITCH SCREENS IS SO CUTE
• For the most part, I think this app is very useful if you want to have quick access to Canvas when on-the-go
• it's actually much better than the D2L app ever was since you have access to every aspect of Canvas

Canvas App flying panda.

Source: Twitter.

Week 8 Growth Mindset

After pondering my mindset, I have come to realize that I compartmentalize a lot. In some classes, I tend to go above and beyond, but in others, I do the bare minimum. Looking at the different dimensions of growth, I feel like half of me is growth and half of me is fixed at this moment in my life. I wish I could say I had an entirely growth mindset.

I think my strengths in my classes are that I always try to do work that I will be proud of. Yet, I want to do it in a way that is the moment efficient so I can get it over with quickly, so sometimes, I have to give up quality for time. I think that comes with college though because you have to prioritize to make sure everything is at least done in a timely manner.

Due to the flexible nature of Indian Epics, I have the luxury of working at my own pace for the most part. I think this will help me build on my weaknesses because through this class, I can practice my internal motivation to do my best work. Like most, I am focused on the grades mostly. It's just that there are some fields that require a good GPA to get into the school (like med, PA, nursing, pharm, law, etc.). This isn't something that is necessarily good because there are people (like me sometimes) that will focus on getting the grade rather than retaining the information. As much as I love to learn, there has been more than one occasion where I have forgotten all of the material after an exam is over. I wish that wasn't the case, though.

I think for the rest of this semester, I will focus on doing things earlier. I already have been doing it a little. Whenever I have exams coming in the next week, I would try to finish my assignments a week early. I would like to do this all the time, however.

The 2% Mindset. 

Source: Growth Mindset Cats. 

Week 8 Reflections

1) Reading

I think I have been making okay choices with the reading. When I first chose the PDE version for the Ramayana, I didn't expect it to be so dense and hard to understand. Luckily, I wasn't too far into the PDE version before I switched to Narayan's version. Because Narayan wrote it like a novel, it was much easier to follow and I enjoyed it much more because the characters were explained and introduced while I was reading. The reading I enjoyed most definitely was the Ramayana. This story followed one trajectory that was really interesting. The Mahabharata was interesting too, with all of its twists, but I definitely liked the Ramayana much, much more. I have been keeping up with the readings for the most part, except for one week where I took a break from Indian Epics because I had a lot of exams to do. I also like to include what I think would be a good topic to write about, which makes it easier for me when I go back and look at what I was thinking whilst reading. As for the coming weeks, I am excited to read about the gods and goddesses and Buddhist jataka tales.

2) Writing

I have only written 3 stories so far, but I feel that I am doing okay so far. The most recent story, I had an idea of where I was going with it, but I kind of lost it at the end. I hope that after I revise it, it will turn into something I am really proud of. I had already known that I was a slow writer since the beginning, but I also learned that the more time a project takes, the less motivated I am to start early. This is a bad trait when it comes to writing because I am reluctant to do it due to my perfectionist personality. I hope to be rid of it soon. When I need ideas for writing, I like to go online and see what scenario ideas people have and how I can integrate those in my writing/stories. I would like to branch out more in the next few weeks. The past few weeks, I've been writing stories that are more or less on the same trajectory as the stories. I recently read a peer's story and she only took one line out of the story and wrote an amazing story out of it. I want to try that eventually.

3) Connecting
I really enjoy good stories. There are so many people in class with amazing writing skills and there are some that are about average. Some people have the tendency to make their stories a huge wall of text that makes it hard to digest the story. That is something I would like to avoid in my writing. I think I'm giving good feedback, especially when it comes to portfolio comments because they're longer and allow me to freely express my thoughts.

Me sometimes:

Source: Pinterest.

Week 7 Storyplanning: Bhishma's Invisibility Cloak

Since Bhishma was granted by the Gods the power to choose the day of his death, it reminded me a lot of "The Tale of the Three Brothers" in Harry Potter. One of the brothers was given an invisibility cloak made from the clothing of Death. It granted the person wearing it everlasting protection from Death and made him invisible from the eyes of all.

I want to write a story where Bhishma was given this cloak by the gods somehow and how Death was about to take his life but failed due to the magic of the cloak. Then when he chose to die, he would take it off and tell Death what had happened. Death would then express regret for ever making it in the first place.

The brother taking off his invisibility cloak and being taken away by Death. 

Source: Tumblr.

More information on Bhishma: 

• also known as Devavrata
• the 8th son of Ganga and Shantanu
• made a pledge of celibacy for his father's happiness
• Bhishma = "One who incites fear"
• He rejected Amba, who then swore to kill him for rejecting her
• I think it would be interesting to write a backstory on Amba, who purposely came back to life (as a man since she exchanged her sex with a demon) to get Bhishma back and fulfill her vow
• He died during the war
• "The next day, confronted by Sikhandi, Bhishma refuses to fight a woman, and he abandons his weapons. Against the rules of war, the Pandavas strike the unarmed warrior with thousands of arrows. There is no space on his body thicker than two fingers that is not pierced. He falls from his chariot, and lies fully supported by the arrows, with no part of his body touching the earth. Bhishma does not actually die until much later, at his choosing. He remains lying on a bed of arrows until the end of the battle.

Sources: 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. 

The Mahabharata Synopsis by Larry A. Brown

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part B

• Dhritrashtra marries Gandhari and blindfolds herself for life to share her husband's condition
• Kunti was adopted by the king and he loved her as his own daughter 
• Kunti was unafraid of the sage and spoke her mind around him, which delighted him because people were usually afraid of him 
• He gave her a mantra that allowed her to summon a God, and she summoned the Sun god 
• He embraced her and when he left, she found a child in her arms
• The child, she knew, was destined for greatness
• However, she had to abandon him because she was unmarried 

• Pandu accidentally shot an arrow at a hermit couple 
• the hermit died but before he died, he cursed Pandu 
• He cursed him so that when Pandu becomes intimate with a woman, he would die 
• Pandu decided to take up sannyas 
• Kunti decided to tell Pandu about the fact that she can call a God and have his child 
• Since Pandu would no longer be able to have children 

• She calls on Yama, the god of truth and death 
• he gave her a son that was the embodiment of virtue and patience 
• named Yudhishthir 
• she then called on Vayu, the wind God 
• he gave her a son that was strong as fast as the wind 
• named Bheem
• she then called on Indra, the king of Devas
• he gave her a son that was to be the greatest warrior in the world
• named Arjun
• Ghandari then gives birth to 100 sons (which would be interesting to write about)
• Duryodhan became jealous of bheem and tried to kill him 

Screenshot of Ghandari and her children.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part A

Mahabharata: 

• I learned that the Mahabharata is pronounced exactly as it is spelled through these videos haha 
• The Mahabharata is an account of how karma happens 
• The king fell in love with the river goddess
• the Ganga said yes
• she wanted him to never question her decision and he agreed
• queen ganga drowned their first child--he asked no questions 
• she continued to kill their next 6 children 
• the children had been killed to free the celestial spirits 
• The king found himself back on the banks after she left him 
• he found his son and wife again 
• the king lost his heart to a fisherman's daughter and asked her to marry him 
• she refused 
• his son went to sooth the pain in his father's heart
• he went to beg the fisherman
• he swore an oath: he would never marry nor father any children 
• he became known as "he of the terrible oath"
• the king eventually found himself guilty 
• he granted his son a boon--death would never touch him unless he requested so 
• I'd like to write about his journey with death (something like HP when the man with the invisible cloak escaped death always)

Screenshot by me of Devavrat's Oath.

Week 6 Storytelling: Ravana's Revelations

Psychiatrist's office. 

Source: GirlinSilence Blogspot.

Dr. Miller sank into his chair and silently gazed around the room. It was filled with books, large comfy couches, and a small kinetic energy sculpture. His previous patient left a little early and he had a few minutes to spare in order to empty his mind. This was how he worked. His mentor taught him one of the most essential skills a psychiatrist should have: the ability to make his mind become a trash bin for all his patients… but one with a hole at the bottom. After seeing a patient, he simply forgets. He forgets all of the anger, sadness, frustration, etc. Of course, this didn't mean that he didn't care for what they had to say in the moment. He simply just didn't hold on to the feelings after the patient left--to protect his own sanity and happiness. Some people say psychiatrists and psychologists can only empathize with their patients because they are a little insane themselves--but not Dr. Miller.

The telephone rang shortly thereafter to alert Dr. Miller of the arrival of his next patient. He quickly let the secretary allow the new patient in.

A few moments later, Dr. Miller watched as a young man walked into the office. Per usual, he regarded his patient for the first time. The man's name was Ravana, and at first glance, was a generally kind-looking individual with bright eyes and a wide smile. Dr. Miller thought back to all of his patients and remembered a book must not be judged by its cover. Many of his most kind and proper-looking patients were, by far, the most insane of them all.

They began the appointment, as Ravana started speaking.

"Hello, doc."

"Welcome, Ravana. What brings you here today?"

"Well… to start off, I've been having some legal issues come up. It's been taking a toll on me, quite honestly… and I just need someone to talk to other than the voices inside my head."

Dr. Miller paused for a moment and looked slightly bewildered as what Ravana said slowly sank in. Quickly, he regained his composure and continued asking questions.

"Voices, you say? Like your thoughts, you mean?" he inquisited.

"No, not just my thoughts. There are other voices in my head. Nine other ones, to be exact."

Dr. Miller quickly scribbled down schizophrenia on his notepad and continued on.

"Ah, I see. Tell me more about these legal issues and what role your voices have been playing."

"So a little while ago, I met this wonderful woman named Sita while visiting my parents up north. She was really pretty, kind, and an amazing individual. We clicked really well and time flew by so fast when we talked. This was before the other nine voices showed up, you see. I don't really talk to many people and spent a lot of my time alone. So after I returned home from visiting my parents, the voices showed up. They told me that Sita wanted to come visit me for a while. I was confused at first because, somehow, two plane tickets appeared in the mail and I eventually went to bring Sita home with me."

Dr. Miller leaned in closer to have a firmer grasp on the story.

"But Sita wasn't the same. She seemed frightened of me and wouldn't talk. After a week, she left. Then the following day, I was informed that I was getting sued  for kidnapping her and… and… my life is just falling APART," Ravana said as he gasped and started shaking. "The voices told me it was okay! That she had consented to coming with me! I had no malicious intentions… I just wanted a friend. I tried to apologize. I tried to let them know that I wasn't trying to be a bad person. They wouldn't believe me and now I won't get the chance to explain myself."

"Why not?" asked Dr. Miller.

Ravana started to choke up as he began speaking again.

"Doc. Today… is the day I die."

Dr. Miller watched in horror as Ravana pulled out a small vial filled with green liquid. Before Dr. Miller could stop him, Ravana downed the contents of the vial and immediately fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.

"Tell them that I'm sorry…" Ravana said with jagged breathing.

***

Whilst Dr. Miller was cleaning his office, his secretary came in to hand him some mail. There was one particularly thick package that caught his eye and he reached for it. There was no return address and when he opened it, there was a letter inside. The letter was written by Ravana. The contents of the letter thanked Dr. Miller for being with Ravana in his last moments and revealed that… Ravana had Stage 4 cancer before he died. 

Author's Note: When I was watching "Sita Sings the Blues" on YouTube, I noticed the narrators mentioned that the only thing that Ravana did wrong was to steal Sita. Even though that was his main fault, the story paints Ravana as a terrible person and readers have no sympathy towards him. In other aspects, he was a rather good rakshasa. Apparently, he even prayed to Shiva all the time too. I really want to write a story from his point of view so that the readers will sympathize with him more. I decided to have a modern setting in a psychiatrist's office where modern Ravana would be able to recount the situation to a third party. My initial story painted him as a criminal, but this time, I changed it up to a poor man who was at the end of his life and just wanted a friend. He ends up killing himself though because of everything that happens... of course he was going to die soon due to his Stage 4 cancer. The psychiatrist was his only way to talk to another person and really open up since I made his personality rather introverted. 

Bibliography: "Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition" by M. Duct, R. Duct, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, Ryder. Website: Indian Epics.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part B

• In the introduction, I appreciate that Narayan avoided the gory scene with the woman and the charred remains in the house. 
• This story is such a huge family feud that it's kind of entertaining to read but at the same time, kind of weird 
• Marriage is such a joke in this story though. It's almost to the point where everyone just has to be married for the sake of being married--no love.
• I think it would be interesting to write a story about Duryodhana's embarrassment 

Embarrassed Duryodhana. 

Source: Wikipedia.

Bibliography: R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part A

• It's always a good choice to read Narayan's version of these tales! Just like the Ramayana, it seems like this story has different versions written by so many different authors. 
• Judging from the list of characters, it seems that there are so many. I wish there weren't as many characters because it makes it harder to get the whole plot because you have a ton of people you have to look up while reading. 
• I'm kind of put off by the situation with Draupadi... however, it's a little more understandable since it was back back in the day... but I figured it would make more sense if it was a harem instead of the other way around. 
• Maybe I could write a story about her and put a "Bachelorette" spin on it haha 
• this is actually a really good idea
• I've always loved how dramatic the intros of the Bachelor/Bachelorette are
• This will be fun to write if I can make it comedic and dramatic enough

Draupadi with her husbands in the background.

Source: BeingIndian.com

Bibliography: R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata

Review: Inspiring Quotes

I didn't really know about TinyBuddha.com until I saw the class announcements. Here's my favorite announcement post from this week.

"You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself."

Source: Learning by HEART.